Shell for concrete piles



Oct. 4, E, W 1,881,254

' SHELL FOR CONCRETE FILES Fiied July 16, 1951 6 14 I l N V E N TO R Zizilfl/ 41? /2 %=2Z2:

BY ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 4, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELIHU D. WATT, or LA GRANGE,

ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO .RAYMOND CONCRETECPILE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY 'SHELL r03 CONCRETE PILES Application filed July 16,

v 1 This invention pertains to shells suitable for driving into the ground to form molds "which are later filledwith concrete to form 7 concrete piles.

It is customary to taper such shells and to drive them by means of collapsible tapered cores. The shells must be stiff enough radially to resist collapse due to pressure of the surrounding earth after the cores have been withdrawn and before the shells have been lfilled with concrete, and since,for reasons of shell.

As stated above, the shells are usually driven on tapered cores, contact with the cores, in the caseof the wire-reinforced shells,

being made by the wires,-and the shells being forceddown by virtue of the wedging action action of the tapered core.

' of that contact. When the core becomes worn in service the wires do not contact uniformly with the core, thereby permitting the coils of wire to shift relatively to each other longitudinally of the coreduring the driving operation, with the result that the plain portions of shell between the wires, being unable to stretch suliiciently, may be ruptured by tension between those coils of wire which shiftaway from each other. v

Even if the wire-reinforced shells be successfully driven without rupture, they are still open to objection because the un-reinforced portions of the shells, between the wires, are not stiff enough to resist pressure of the earth after-removal of the cores and before pouring of the concrete.

Corrugated shells provide resistance against collapse but are difficult to drive. Attempts were first madeto drivesuch shells on smooth tapered cores. It was found, however, that when the shells were made of metal sufliciently thin to be commercially practical, they would sometimesburst due to the circumferential tension induced by the wedging Also, the shells backing in the 1931. Serial No. 551,100.

were torn by obstructions, since there was no projecting corrugations to help the shell resist theobstructions. Those conditions made it necessary to drive corrugated shells by cores having collapsible leaves corrugated to enter and engage the corrugations of the shell.

' However, even the use of the collapsible corrugated core has not been uniformly successful. The core'must collapse very materially in order to reduce its diameter suflic'ientlyto permit ready withdrawal from the shell after driving. This meansithat while the core is expanded in the'shell during the driving operation Ithereare gaps of substantial width- These shell, which, being unsupported by the'core, is easily torn or cut during the driving operation, thereby permitting material to enter the core through'the shell. packs between the leavescially at its lower end, so

This material of the core, espethat the core cannot be collapsed, but must be jacked out of the ground at great expense, bringing'the shell out withit. The present invention permits the use of a non-collapsible core, thus entirely overcoming the above objections;

but if for any reason the use of core be desired, the core needs to be only slightly collapsible, thus reducing the gaps between the leaves when the core is expanded,

a collapsible between theleaves of the -core. gaps are bridged by the metal of the thereby rendering the shell much less vulner- I able to damage during driving.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the above problems by placing a circumferential wire internally in spacedapart corrugations of a tapered corrugated shell,and then driving theshell on a plane tapered core; If the shell be helically corrugated the corrugations may be in the form of'double,=triple or quadruple threads and the wire may be wound'in every second, third or fourth thread.

- The wireengages the core, forces the cas-' ing into the ground, and takes thebursting strains; the corrugation containing the wire acts as a plow to push obstructions aside and thereby relieve the unreinforced corrugations from much wear and tear; and the corru- '7 gated metal between the wires provides] 7 enough surplus metal to accommodate give and-take so that'no-excessive tension is placed v on the metal if the spacing between wires 7 v should vary due to uneven wear of the driv- '7 ng core. v Qneernbocliment of the'inventionis shown in the drawing, which illustrates in cross sec- 1 i tion apo'rtion of a hollow tapered driving helically corrugated with quadruple threads, in one of. which threads is placed awire l l of diameter at least as greatas the depth of the corrugation. r j v;- Atthe-top of the drawing is shownthe lower'end'of acasing'l6 similar to casing-12 and screwed into the upper'end thereof, thus illustrating one method of forming shells of I any desired length-by coupling similar shell- .sectionsltogetherr -It isltofbe understoodthat the invention is not limited t0 the specific embodiment herein illustrated'and described, but maybe used in other ways without departure' from its spirit as defined by the following'claims'. l claimz' l] o i A 1. Incombination, a'tapered corrugated shell, reinforcing elements in certain of said J corrugations, unreinforcecl corrugations be tvveenf said elements,- said reinforcing ele-- y ments serving to protect the intermediate un-= {reinforced corrugations; and a'plane tapered j core'engaging said reinforcing elements dur- ,7 .7 ing thedriving operation."

'3 12. "In combination, a taperedshell having ihelic'al. multiple threadccrrugationsya con-- tinuouslreinforcing element in one thread of said" corrugations toprotect intermediate I threads of said corrugationsand 'a plane lta-- v pered core vengaging' said continuous reinforcing. element during the driving operation; V 3i Incombination atapered-shell having ahelicalcorrugation therein, a continuous "reinforcing wirein the corrugation having a 1 diameter equal to'the depthof the corrugation and a smooth tapered core engaging "said wire and corrugation during'theiclriving op eration, said shell having-surplus metal be-: tween said corrugations constructed to eX-= Qpand orcontract to accommodatevariations in the contact of the core with the helices of the-Wire. m :7

4'. In combination, a pile shell having lat; erally continuous; corrugations substantially .'throughout its length, a driving core fitted in the shell; said; shell having certain of its V outer a'picessupportedlonthe core by"1nem-' bers interposed between the core and'shell, V 1 said shell having thev inner-apices of its-coreo rugations intermediate the members-contacting thelcore and supported thereon. 5 g In testimony whereof'l heretoatfixmy signature.

" IHU 10 core 10, upo1 i whichjis'm'ounted a casing 12 in v f f 

